


Artificial Blood

by purplelly



Category: Rooster Teeth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2014-12-13
Packaged: 2018-03-01 08:45:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2766926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplelly/pseuds/purplelly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joel is a vampire who sometimes forgets to drink the packets of artificial blood. Luckily, Adam is there to help him out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Artificial Blood

Joel tries to be good. He  _is_ good. Most of the time.

Joel is a vampire. He drinks artificial blood – not as good as fresh blood, but it works. It keeps his hunger sated for a few hours. 

It’s not a problem in the office. Everyone’s adapted to vampire Joel by now. Some don’t even bat an eye when he asks them to get a blood packet from the fridge. One of those people is Adam.

Adam has probably been the most helpful so far – besides Burnie, who Joel knew before Adam, and who was also very helpful when it came to artificial blood.

It’s after three-hour long recordings that Adam offers to get Joel a packet of blood – and when Joel forgets that he needs to drink altogether until Adam reminds him. He probably wouldn’t even be at work still if Adam hadn’t helped him.

That might also be one of the reasons he started to fall for the idiot.

He’s not quite sure when he started to crush on him. He just knows when he realized it. During recordings with the other, he finds himself moving closer to Adam – or maybe it’s Adam moving closer to him. Either way, he feels comfortable in Adam’s presence. He finds himself making more jokes just to hear Adam’s laugh, or eagerly making plans to record to talk to Adam again.

This day, though, Joel was distracted by other things. Work. Editors were short that day, so Joel was working on editing a few videos for the Rooster Teeth channel. He ended up fully involved in his work, so focused, that lunch passed without him noticing. Then it was evening. He only snapped out of his focused state when there was a knock at his office door, making him jump a foot in the air.

Adam walked in; laughing at Joel’s startled expression.

“Sorry, did I startle you?” Adam said, not sounding the least bit sincere.

Joel didn’t reply. Instead, he felt a tug in his stomach, and he realizes he hasn’t had a drink since early this morning. Adam’s heartbeat ringing in his ears reminds him how long it’s been since he’s had fresh blood.

Adam must’ve noticed something was wrong. “Joel? Are you okay?”

Joel nodded, meeting Adam’s eyes. “Yeah, yeah I’m….I just need a drink.”

Adam crossed his arms and leaned in the doorway. “How long has it been since you’ve had a drink, Joel?”

Joel shrugs, not paying full attention. His eyes watch the floor, and he closes his eyes while trying to focus on something else than  _the heartbeat_.

“Jesus, you’re bad. Okay, I’ll get you a packet, just wait here,” Adam said, hurrying out of the office.

As Joel waited, he turned back to his computer, but he couldn’t focus with the hunger gnawing at his stomach.

Adam walked in a few minutes later, holding an artificial blood packet. He walks up to Joel and  _oh no that heartbeat is much louder when he’s closer_.

Adam is a foot away and holds out the blood packet. Joel stares at his hand, the heartbeat louder in his ears, and he swears he smells fresh blood just behind Adam’s skin.

He loses himself for a moment. His actions are involuntary. He grips Adam’s wrist, and the bearded man stumbles in surprise, sucking in a breath.

Joel knows his fangs are out, and he stares at the pulse on Adam’s wrist. Then Adam starts speaking.

“Joel? Okay, this is not normal, I don’t know what you’re doing, but please  _stop_ ,” Adam pleads. The sound of his voice snaps Joel out of his stupor, and he yanks his hands back quickly.

There’s a silence over the room, Adam staring incredulously at Joel, and Joel finding any place to look that’s not the other man’s eyes.

His gut was writhing with guilt and humiliation. He wonders what Adam is thinking, what this might do.

There’s another tug in his stomach, and Joel ducks to grab the blood packet that had dropped to the floor. He practically bites into it, slurping the contents into his mouth. As he drinks, he has a cautious look to Adam, then stands and leaves the room.

When he gets to his car, he nearly slams his head into the wheel of his car in frustration.  _Shit, shit, shit, Adam must hate him now, fuck-_

Joel drives home.

***

The next day he hesitates in going into work.

He’s still mortified by his actions, and just the idea of facing Adam after that makes his face flush.

Joel still forces himself to go to work, despite his feelings. He knows he can’t put an excuse past Burnie or Matt; both of them had known him long enough to see through his lies. Even if they aren’t undead like him.

So he retreats to his office the minute he arrives, and wants to stay there for the rest of eternity. But then again, there aren’t many blood packets in his office, so he’d be forced to go the kitchen and risk running into Adam.

Turns out he doesn’t have to risk it; there’s a knocking at his door around the time people would be having lunch, and Joel hesitates as he says to come in.

Adam walks in; closing the door behind him, and Joel wants to crawl under his desk.

“Adam, I am so, so, so sorry,” Joel starts rambling. “I don’t know what happened last night, I just got thirsty, and you were there and – okay, that sounds wrong, I’m sorry, I just lost myself, and—“

Adam cuts him off. “Its fine, Joel, calm down.” Joel stops.

Adam sighs. “Listen, I get it. You were a little….um…dehydrated, I guess. I know vampires aren’t themselves when that happens. So. I get it.”

Joel stares at Adam a moment. He didn’t know what he expected the other to say, but that wasn’t it. “Thanks, Adam. I’m just sorry that I nearly hurt you. I don’t ever want you to get hurt.” He goes a bit red at the last sentence, but Adam just smiles.

“Uh, hey,” Adam starts off. “I actually came in here for a different reason. Would you like to come to lunch with me?”

Joel is a bit startled, but smiles and stands from his desk. “Sure. That sounds fun. I’ll go grab a packet.” He stands to leave through the doorway, but stops to look at Adam again. “So…We’re good, right?”

Adam laughs; then, as Joel is about to start heading to the kitchen, he leans in and connects their lips.

Joel freezes a moment; then he moves his hands up to Adam’s face, kissing back. He felt Adam’s hands come to rest on his hips, and his back hits the doorway.

He felt his fangs extend from his upper jaw, and he gently glides them across Adam’s bottom lip, nipping gently. Adam shivers against him, his hands tightening on Joel’s hips.

Adam pulls away a moment later, face flushed and lips swollen. Joel can’t help but find that  _very_ attractive.

“Uh,” Adam starts. “Is lunch still on?”

Joel leans in and presses a chaste kiss to Adam’s lips. “It’s a date.”

Adam smiles and takes Joel’s hand in his own, and they walk out of the building. 


End file.
